Busayo Oladiran: Changing the lives of Girls Living in Slums through The Ìgboyà Project
According to UNICEF, 13.2 million children are out of school in Nigeria, 60% of them are girls. This figure puts Nigeria as the country with the highest number of out-of-school children in the world. This proverbial gun powder poses a serious danger not only to the present day Nigeria but also the future of the nation. Notably, one patriotic Nigerian is doing her bit to stop this gun powder from exploding. Her name is Busayo Oladiran. Busayo is a graduate of Microbiology from the University of Ilorin, co-founder of Pep Naija and 2018 YALI fellow. She grew up in an average Nigerian family where she didn’t lack basic needs. She was, however, treated unfairly at some point because she is a girl child. So she vowed to create opportunities for girls, especially those who are underprivileged. This was why she founded The Ìgboyà Project to help girls living in slums/underserved communities become role models worthy of emulation. In this article SLA contributor, Kofoworola Ayodeji highlights some of her achievements in helping Nigerian girls living in the slum. Hope emerges for girls living in Dustbin Estate… On a bright Saturday morning, Busayo and her team made a triumphant entry into the Dustbin Estate in Ajegunle, Lagos Nigeria. As they alighted from the car, the four-person team was swarmed by a group of enthusiastic girls who have been waiting eagerly to start a journey that would change the course of their lives in the weeks ahead. That moment birthed The Ìgboyà Project in Ajegunle. The journey began. And then the sad moment ensued. “I heard stories that made me shed tears for days. There’s the story of a girl who was doing well academically on scholarship. Then she was molested, got pregnant and lost her scholarship. Her education stopped. She lost her dad in the process and had to sleep in an uncompleted building with pregnancy for months.” -Busayo said in a low voice. “Another of the girls lost her two parents and had to stop going to school because her guardians couldn’t send her. It was such an emotional moment for me, for all of us. They broke down in tears while telling their story. They cried. I cried too. I couldn’t help it. But I’m happy that with our coaching and investment in them, they have braced up to get the best out of life.” She continued. Why it was called -The Ìgboyà Project… “The name ‘Ìgboyà’ is a powerful word in my native language, Yoruba. It simply means courage, confidence, or boldness.” says Busayo as she thrusts her fists into the air with so much passion. “The Ìgboyà Project was created to help girls living in slums or remote communities. Basically, we’re working to help them build their self-confidence, self-esteem and communication skills. They are also trained in public speaking, branding, sexual and reproductive health. [bctt tweet=”I really want our girls to be bold, and to believe in themselves – @OladiranBusayo” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] The project has so far empowered a lot of girls currently living in Dustbin Estate, Ajegunle Lagos. The Ìgboyà girls, as the participants are called, get trained over a period of six weeks with intensive classes, class exercises and simulation. After that, they were organized into a brainstorming session during which they analyzed and highlighted some of the key problems facing their local community. They are then mentored and supported by the Ìgboyà team to solve these problems. “When we arrived at Dustbin Estate in Ajegunle, my eyes were welled up with tears. It was unbelievable that some people live in this kind of environment. I began to think about the girls who grow up in a place like this. I knew we had no choice but to rewrite the story of some girls living around here. Thank God for LOTS charity that has been doing so much to groom the kids in that community, ” says Busayo “After six weeks of rigorous training sessions, I knew the change had finally come. Our girls have now become so bold that they can take on anyone on any issue about their community or nation. They are now doing their community project and we will continue to mentor and expose them to life-changing opportunities. I recently went with four of the girls to #TLC2018, a speaking event which held at the American Corner, Yaba Lagos. This inspired them and exposed them to many more opportunities. Our next stop is Mushin in Lagos and we look forward to having a great experience there.” [bctt tweet=”My dream is for the @igboyaproject to reach millions of girls living in slums/underserved communities across Africa – @OladiranBusayo” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] That you were born a girl child in a particular community should not limit your potentials in life. Every single girl in the world deserves to live a fulfilling life of purpose. Dear Motherland Mogul, make your life a story worth telling. Within every person lies an extraordinary story waiting to be told. How are you making a difference in your community? Click here to share your story.
Leave This Shit In 2018…
Happy New year Motherland Moguls! 2018 was a year filled with events and lessons for me. So, I thought I would share with you some of the lessons learned that apply to life, career, and business. Life is full of surprises and often take unexpected turns. Our successes are a result of how well we respond and adapt to the life changes. My hope this year is that we are all able to embrace change and let go of what is holding us back. Welcome to 2019! Now let’s talk about the shit you need to leave in 2018. You don’t need that baggage with you in 2019! [bctt tweet=”Here are 5 habits you need to let go of this year #leavethatshitin2018″ username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Resenting others Nothing good comes from resenting others. I’m telling you this as someone who is guilty of holding grudges for long periods of time. I resented the person who took this picture for a while. I blamed them for making me miserable. I wished them all the bad luck in the world because I felt they were somehow the origin of everything bad happening in my life (and it wasn’t the case). I don’t resent them anymore and I am so much happier for it. Don’t get me wrong, I still highly dislike this person, but as soon as I was able to refocus the time and energy I was spending brooding over the situation, amazing things started happening. Nothing good ever comes from resenting others. Take it from a champion in the resentment Olympics. #LeaveThatShitIn2018 Snoozing your life away I am usually pretty good at waking up early and getting on with my day. But every so often I think that I could do with “5 more minutes” of sleep and hit the snooze button for the next 2 hours. The problem? When you snooze, you not only wake up more tired than you initially were, but you then spend your entire day playing catch up. You waste time, miss opportunities, and get caught up in a vicious circle. The same is true for life. I didn’t get to see my grandmother one last time because of this viscous snoozing circle I had slipped in. So now, I try my best to make things happen ASAP. One of the best trips I had this year was possible because I did not snooze (when I really wanted to). I was able to discover part of Cape Verde, meet great people, and have an amazing experience.Don’t postpone things you can do now. Finish (or start) that degree you have been thinking about for so long. Take that art class. Visit with your friends and family. Explore the world. Launch that business. And when that thing you want to do seems impossible, just remember that Rome was not built in a day, it was built one stone at the time. (And stop snoozing that alarm clock!) You snooze you lose. #LeaveThatShitIn2018 Being a technology zombie Technology is wonderful. It enables us to take great selfies (and groupies) and more importantly it enables us to connect with each other and the world. We, however, have to be very careful. Technology is a double-edged sword. It can be a nice distraction. But it is a distraction nonetheless. It is a distraction that turns us into shallow versions of ourselves.I took this picture while I was waiting for my car to get fixed. And I was so glad to have my phone with me at the time. It made the wait so much more enjoyable. But more and more I find myself scrolling on my social media feed while I’m on the phone or watching TV. I like to think that technology is not the boss of me. But I have noticed lately that I miss pieces of conversations, movies, and I waste time that could be put to better use because of it. [bctt tweet=”Be present. Connect with intention. Don’t be a tech zombie. #LeaveThatShitIn2018″ username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] I feel this negatively affects the quality of my relationships. It turns me into a passive, absent-minded, and monosyllabic individual. And this is not the type of person or friend I want to be. I want to be a friend that remembers what we talked about. That friend who is attentive, present and listens actively and with intention. The friends we have and the relationships we build are what make life interesting and beautiful. So, we owe it to each other to be mindful, engaged, and attentive. Be present. Connect with intention. Don’t be a tech zombie. #LeaveThatShitIn2018 Letting fear cloud your judgment We often think of fear as this scary monster that makes us do crazy things. But more often than not, fear comes posing as a gentle and wise friend that has your best interest at heart. Fear is eloquent and charismatic. Fear is (seemingly) insightful. Fear is convincing. In fact, Fear is so convincing that it will have you believe that your neighbor must be dangerous since they do not look like you. It will convince you to stay quiet in the face of injustice. It will convince you that putting your head in the sand is the best way to solve your problems. I have been there. Fear had me paralyzed. It made me watch a personal situation getting worse and worse and interpret anything as a sign of improvement. I was very fortunate at that time to have a great friend who guided me through this fog of fear. But sometimes, you have to be your own guide and ask yourself: what would I tell a friend in the same situation? Don’t let fear cloud your judgment. Be your own friend. Take fear out of the equation. #LeaveThatShitIn2018 Traveling someone else’s journey When we are young, it is the responsibility of our parents, our family, (and, to some extent, our community) to prepare us for life. They make choices for us, take decisions about our activities, our lifestyle, and our beliefs.
Bilikiss Adebiyi- Abiola: I chose waste for impact
[bctt tweet=”Bilikiss Adebiyi-Abiola – I like that my work makes me live a life of purpose” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Bilikiss Adebiyi-Abiola developed the idea for Wecyclers while she was a student in the US. She wanted to address two major challenges of waste management and unemployment by offering recycling services to low/middle-income households. Once she returned to Nigeria, Wecyclers Nigeria Limited was born. Wecyclers is now an award-winning company and as its Co-Founder and CEO, Bilikiss’ work is well recognised. She is a Carroll Wilson Fellow, an Echoing Green Fellow and a 2013 recipient of the Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards. She is also a member of the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund, founded by the Lagos state government. SLA contributor Olayemi Olajide recently caught up with Bilikiss to find out more about her journey….. Kindly tell us about Wecyclers? What made you return to Nigeria to start this company? Wecyclers is an award-winning company that is committed to improving recycling in Nigeria. We address the challenge of waste management and unemployment by offering sustainable and convenient recycling services to low/middle-income households and businesses while creating grassroots jobs and economic partnerships. The idea for Wecyclers was developed while I was in the US as a student at the MIT Sloan School of Management. Following a five-year career as a corporate software engineer at IBM. I was assigned to a study project to help people at the bottom of the pyramid (people living on less than $2 a day). I decided to work on waste with a focus on its uses, collection, and processing. After the project was completed, we (the project team) did some research and saw the huge potential in the waste recycling sector in Nigeria. Especially among the manufacturing plants who are hungry for a cheaper and easily available source of raw materials due to local and foreign demand for end products. I then decided to move the idea forward and Wecyclers was born. What do you enjoy the most about doing business in Nigeria? I like that my work makes me live a life of purpose and that it is having a positive effect on my country and my children. Wecyclers turns waste into wealth and supplements the income of thousands of households. Since August 2012, Wecyclers has registered over 15,000 households for our collection service in 3 Lagos neighborhoods, collected over 3,000 metric tons of recyclable materials, created over 100 jobs and rewarded our subscribers with over $75,000 worth of gifts and cash prizes. Since August 2012, Wecyclers has registered over 15,000 households for our collection service in three Lagos neighborhoods, collected over 3,000 metric tons of recyclable materials, created over 100 jobs and rewarded our subscribers with over $75,000 worth of gifts and cash prizes. [bctt tweet=”@wecyclers @realwecyclers @bilikiss are demonstrating that waste can be a source of wealth” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] How has your experience working and living outside the continent helped you shape Wecyclers into what it is today? I think my educational experiences and starting my career as a software engineer in the United States provided me the toolkit with which to solve the kind of large-scale problems we are tackling at Wecyclers. It also provided opportunities to build an international network that has helped to guide and support our work. It also provided opportunities to build an international network that has helped to guide and support our work. [bctt tweet=”@bilikiss @wecyclers We have benefited greatly from the Lagos State Government’s progressiveness” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] How has your partnership with Lagos State Government and other organizations contributed to building Wecyclers? Can you tell us names of organizations you have partnered with? Our partnerships with Lagos State Government and organizations has been a critical part of Wecyclers’ development. We have benefitted greatly from the Lagos State Government’s progressiveness and openness to working with organizations that provide solutions to Lagosians’ challenges. Wecyclers recently received a grant from the Lagos State Government to expand our collection and processing services into two new local government areas, create 120 jobs and 8 micro enterprises and reach an addition 68,000 Lagosians. Our partners also include FCMB, DHL, Unilever, Oracle, the Nigerian Bottling Company, MIT Sloan School of Management, and others listed on our webpage. Our partnerships have helped to improve our visibility, enabled large-scale programs like clean-up days, and enhanced our management operations. What are the constant challenges you face running Wecyclers? What’s next for Wecyclers? A major challenge is funding. We are a social enterprise, so we are more focused on having a positive impact on communities than generating profit. We are always looking for companies and foundations that are willing to support our efforts. Another constant challenge has been ensuring the supply of electricity to our hubs, which is essential for processing the recycled material we collect. We also have to deal with the negative perception that some people have of working in waste recycling as a dirty job. We are demonstrating that waste can be a source of wealth and that handling it well is good for our communities and the environment. Our plan is to continue expanding our operations and reach, encourage more communities to get involved in recycling. My plan is for Wecyclers to operate all across Nigeria and my long-term goal is to be the largest recycling company in Africa. [bctt tweet=”Bilikiss Adebiyi Abiola – My long-term goal is to be the largest recycling company in Africa. ” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] 5 things you do to relax when you are not working. Listen to music, work out, cook, travel and read books. If you’d like to share your story with She Leads Africa, let us know more about you and your story here.
Exclusive Community Event: SLA Accelerator Meet & Greet
For the past 3 months, She Leads Africa has worked with 10 amazing female entrepreneurs in our accelerator program. We have helped them grow and expand their budding businesses & in just a few days, they will have a chance to pitch their business to local and international investors. The Accelerator Demo Day is a closed event specifically for investors, corporate senior executives & the press. But what about all the entrepreneurs and interested audience members who also want to hear directly from these amazing women about how they have started and grown their businesses? Then have we got the event for you! Join us 16 November 2016 for a meet & greet cocktail & networking session with presentations from the Motherland Moguls in our accelerator program. This amazing opportunity is exclusively for our community members. Details for the event will be released Nov. 10th but only to those who receive our newsletter. Event Details: When: Wednesday 16th Nov. 2016 Time: In the Evening Where: Lagos, Nigeria Cost: FREE! Who: You must be part of our community to get more details & an invitation Not part of our community? What are you waiting for? Join here: Already part of our community? Make sure you check your email for the event details on Nov. 10th. Help us spread the word: Help us spread the word about this event and you could win a Motherland Mogul or Boss T-Shirt, even if you don’t attend the event! Must be based in Lagos. Sorry, shipping’s expensive! Not in Lagos? Still spread the word & win SLA brownie points! [bctt tweet=”@SheLeadsAfrica is having an exclusive networking event just for their community members. Sign-up here:” via=”no”] Not sure this event is for you? Here is what you can expect: Learn directly from Motherland Moguls building their empires Hear the stories and learn how these 10 amazing women started their companies & their plan for expansion Network directly with the women in our accelerator program in small intimate sessions Meet other like-minded women in the Lagos area and start creating connections to help you grow your business Refreshing drinks & light snacks, of course FREE ENTRY. This is an exclusive event for our community members, so this one’s on us! You’re welcome.
SLA Accelerator Demo Day
Join us on November 20 in Lagos, Nigeria for the Demo Day of our 2016 SLA Accelerator. Demo Day is a public viewing for investors, corporates senior executives and the press to view our most recent accelerator startups. The SLA Accelerator is a 3-month program designed to identify, support and fund the next generation of Nigeria’s brightest female entrepreneurs. The selected businesses are: Art Splash Studio – A virtual art studio offering a social art experience through our Paint Nite painting classes hosted at different venues in Abuja. BathKandy Co. – Creates sumptuous dessert-inspired beauty treats for women who crave the finer things. Bubble Tii – Bringing the Bubble Tea phenomena to Africa. DeliveryBros – Helps you save time and stress through pickup and drops from the market to your house or office. Fresh Direct Produce and Agro-Allied Services – An eco-friendly social enterprise that produces premium organic produce through hydroponics and community action. Keek’s – Designs tailored weight loss packages for busy women who want a plan that is both effective and simple to implement. Koko’s Kitchen – An indigenous brand of confectionary dry mixes specially tailored to suit the taste buds and pocketbook of the quintessential person on the go. Independent Personal Assistant (iPA) – Provides strategic virtual assistance to high-level executives across Africa. We take care of the mundane while you focus on what matters. Medsaf.com – Solves the medical industry’s procurement problem, by providing a technology enabled distribution solution resulting in transparency and simplicity. Shuttlers – Enables professionals to access comfortable and efficient transportation to and from work using seat matching technology. SLA Accelerator is in partnership with the Work in Progress! Alliance and Guaranty Trust Bank The Work in Progress! Alliance is focused on unlocking the economic potential of young women and men in Egypt, Nigeria and Somalia. The project aims to enable them to generate sustainable and living incomes – by finding regular employment or starting enterprises. Alliance partners include Oxfam, VC4Africa and Butterfly Works Guaranty Trust Bank is recognized as one of the most profitable and well managed financial institutions in Africa for providing quality service, ethics, professionalism, integrity, innovation and internationally accepted corporate governance standards. SLA Accelerator is also one of 16 global incubators and accelerators selected as a Village Capital Community VilCap Communities enables anyone, anywhere to use peer-selected investment to support entrepreneurs within their communities. In 2016, each VilCap Community will be running its own entrepreneur training program and investing in two ventures using Village Capital’s peer selection methodology.
SLAY Festival
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”49527″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” onclick=”custom_link” img_link_target=”_blank” link=”https://www.slayfestival.com”][vc_custom_heading text=”Click to here to purchase your SLAY Festival ticket” font_container=”tag:h4|text_align:center” google_fonts=”font_family:Montserrat%3Aregular%2C700|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.slayfestival.com||target:%20_blank|” css=”.vc_custom_1517168953178{background-color: #ffffff !important;border-radius: 3px !important;}”][vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRVklcueI24″ align=”center”][vc_custom_heading text=”SLAY Festival is a one day celebration of all things incredible, magical, innovative, and entrepreneurial about us and we aren’t afraid to show it.” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:18|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Montserrat%3Aregular%2C700|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][vc_custom_heading text=”What can you expect from SLAY Festival 2018?” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:18|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Montserrat%3Aregular%2C700|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal”][vc_custom_heading text=”- More speakers. More innovators. More real talk. More life. In 2018, we’ll have three different stages to bring you even more great speakers to learn from on money and success, arts and culture and health and wellness.” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:18|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Montserrat%3Aregular%2C700|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][vc_custom_heading text=”- Plenty of opportunities to connect directly with experts to learn how to maximize your success in 2018. We’ll have experts in marketing, strategy, finance, and human resources providing free one-on-one coaching. We’re excited to add more career coaches ready to help you with CV review, interview prep, job search tips and building your career brand.” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:18|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Montserrat%3Aregular%2C700|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][vc_custom_heading text=”- Activities that are fun and actually help your life. Ready to learn what investors are looking for? We got you. Looking to explore a career in photography? We’ll have the best in the business. Need to get your budget in check for the new year? We’ll have experts ready to put it down, flip it and reverse it. Join us for exciting masterclasses to learn all of this and more.” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:18|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Montserrat%3Aregular%2C700|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][vc_custom_heading text=”- The best in beauty, hair and overall flyness. Whether you’re at the Clinique experience, finding a simple skin care routine that will work for your skin type or getting a fresh new hair style at the style bar, your fineness will definitely increase by at least 33% before you leave SLAY Festival.” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:18|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Montserrat%3Aregular%2C700|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][vc_custom_heading text=”- Spending of money. We’ll have more than 70 young entrepreneurs with innovative and exciting products. From fashion to home goods to books and everything in between, come ready to discover new products and support local entrepreneurs.” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:18|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Montserrat%3Aregular%2C700|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Click to here to purchase your SLAY Festival ticket” font_container=”tag:h4|text_align:center” google_fonts=”font_family:Montserrat%3Aregular%2C700|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.slayfestival.com||target:%20_blank|” css=”.vc_custom_1517168953178{background-color: #ffffff !important;border-radius: 3px !important;}”][vc_separator][vc_custom_heading text=”Click to here follow @SLAYFestival on Instagram” font_container=”tag:h4|text_align:center” google_fonts=”font_family:Montserrat%3Aregular%2C700|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Fslayfestival%2F||target:%20_blank|” css=”.vc_custom_1509493148579{background-color: #ffffff !important;border-radius: 2px !important;}”][vc_media_grid grid_id=”vc_gid:1517173250756-1440df59-4092-10″ include=”47396,47418,47419,47420,47421,47422,47423,47424,47425″][vc_column_text][/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row]
How to organize an independent art/design exhibition
To artists and designers, exhibitions are very important. In fact, they are akin to gigs and appearances musicians make. Exhibitions are a good way to talk to people about your art, meet prospective buyers and patrons and generally reach more people. Now, most people think you need to have a gallery or art-house to have an exhibition. However, more and more independent art exhibitions are put together across the world. Three months ago, I had an exhibition titled, “The Philosopher’s Muse: An alternate art exhibition” in Lagos, Nigeria. I’d like to share firsthand how you can pull off a great event. Now, the first step is to have all your art works completed first. This way, you don’t run into any future troubles. Once you’ve done this, you’re ready to start. Build a committee The committee can be made up of people you have employed or friends and family. No matter what, always start with a committee. Tell as many people about your idea as possible to get their take and then have some of them help make your idea a reality. Create a budget With the help of your committee, you would need to decide on a budget for the event. Stick to it closely and don’t forget to factor in marketing costs. Get a space If you can get a gallery space, that would be amazing. If you can’t, there are tons of other types of spaces that can be used. Think of bars, garages and so on. If you’re in Lagos, you can reach out to Sao Café, Blue Mahogany, StrangerLagos, Ice cream factory, iamisigo store and Kia Motors. These are a few places in Lekki that seem to be game for such events. If you don’t want to go with them, you can get a garage, a white space, a store or a room to host your first exhibition. Invite other artists Always do this. Two heads are better than one and it’s a great idea to invite other artists to exhibit with you. This will require drawing up an arrangement with them. Publicise your event There are a number of blogs which would be happy to publicise your event for a small amount of money or for free depending on your agreement. Some of these blogs may not be powerhouses in the blogging world but they reach the right crowd. A number of examples are NTDIL, FOMO, The Sole Adventurer, UnravellingNigeria, Vunderkind, The Naked Convos , ArtsandAfrica.com, Afropunk.com. Also, getting your event on a free events platform may help the turnout of the event. Upload the details of the exhibition Having all the details of the exhibition on your Facebook page or website will cut the cost of publishing exhibition material. It will also get other people who may be unable to make it to the exhibition aware of the event. Entertainment Rent or loan a small set of speakers for music. Then organise caterers to provide small finger foods and drinks so your guests know you appreciate them for coming. Yellow Canopy is an affordable option for event catering. Send invites After publicizing the event, don’t forget to send out personal invites to people you want to see at the event. These could be influencers, mentors or others. Set up early Before the event, try to set up a day before. Have the name and titles of the works you’ll be exhibiting neatly placed near the pieces. Have a good time At this stage, you have done all you can. It’s time to have some fun. Enjoy it knowing that no matter what, you have taken the first step in your career. This is good news.
Smoothie Express: Bringing healthy food to the people
SLA quickly caught up with Tracy and Omowunmi the founders of fast growing fresh food startup Smoothie Express. They shared with us how they developed the idea for the company, how they get around volatile currencies and the best piece of feedback they’ve ever received from a customer. Where did the idea of Smoothie Express come from and how did you get it started? I was trying to do a smoothie detox and my biggest challenge was finding the right time to blend my smoothies as I was still working a 9-5 then. That’s where the idea came up, I had seen a problem that was not peculiar to me alone and I wanted to solve it. So I contacted Omowunmi and we both developed a solution for the problem hence, Smoothie Express. We first of all picked a name, Smoothie Express because we wanted to make fresh smoothies available to customers with minutes. Then we registered the company. We used our savings in starting up the company. We had to prioritize our capital expenditure because funds were limited. Why is healthy food so important to you? As adults, we have the tendency to go by our lives eating any piece of unhealthy food just to keep body and soul going. With lots of diseases coming up and ill health associated with being overweight, the best and easiest way to keep your health in check is to eat healthy. Healthy food plays an important role in our health and it’s important for me to indulge as much as possible. What is the most challenging element of running a food startup? I would say quality control for a food start up. Customers expect nothing less than perfect food/beverage not withstanding anything, all the time. So as a food company, you have to make sure there is quality control checks all day everyday. How has currency fluctuation affected your business and what are you doing to creatively manage it and keep your products affordable? We have always been a company that believes in patronizing Nigerian products. It’s been a struggle everywhere, but we have been able to manage the currency situation because of that. Although, we are struggling with increased prices for a few items. It’s such a shame how dollar still controls our economy this much. What is the best thing and the worst thing about having a business partner? The best thing about having a business partner is that, there is always someone to cover your weaknesses and loops. The worst thing about having a business partner is that you guys get to disagree a lot of times but the ability to push past it makes it worthwhile. What is the best piece of feedback you’ve ever received from a customer? Oh well. A couple of customers say we make the best smoothies in the world. If you’d like to share your story with She Leads Africa, let us know more about you and your story here.